Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Asks PM Modi To Involve Civil Society Groups, Religious Organisations In Fighting Covid-19 Crisis

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has written a letter to prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to convene a meeting of civil society groups, NGOs and religious organisations and involve them in the fight against Covid-19 crisis as the JIH feels that the government alone cannot tackle the pandemic given the severity of the crisis.

India Tomorrow

NEW DELHI—Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, the biggest socio-cultural organization of Indian Muslims, has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to involve civil society groups, NGOs and religious organization in fighting the pandemic that has taken a heavy toll on the country, with more than 3000 people losing their lives daily and all health infrastructure system having failed to cope with the crisis.

This was information was given by JIH President Syed Sadatullah Husaini while addressing a virtual press conference here today.

Through the letter, JIH requested PM “to convene a meeting (online/offline) of all religious and social organisations and volunteer groups to discuss the grave situation prevailing in the country and explore the various means and avenues to alleviate the sufferings of our people.”

Pandemics Are A Divine Warning To Repent & Get Rid of Our Arrogance & Surrender Before Almighty

The letter pointed out that pandemics and natural calamities are a warning to the people to introspect their individual and collective arrogance.

“We believe that pandemics and natural calamities also have a spiritual dimension and they formulate the divine warning to prepare us for greater calamities in this world and the Hereafter,” Mr. Husaini said in his letter.

“It gives us opportunities to sincerely ponder, analyse, repent and correct our individual and collective behaviour. It allows us to get rid of our individual and collective arrogance and submit with humility before our Creator, the God Almighty, Who is the source of all knowledge and wisdom, Who does justice and to Whom is our ultimate return”, the JIH chief further pointed out in his missive.

Jamaat Ready To Extend Support To Government In The Crisis

Stating that “along with taking all material and scientific measures, we believe we also need to take into account the spiritual and moral aspect of such calamities, sincerely repent before our Lord and commit to Him to ensure honesty, justice and fairness in our dealings”, he said that “Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is always ready to extend its support and services to complement and supplement the efforts of the government and civil society.”

“Given the severity of the crisis, we feel that we all should consult each other and work together despite our differences of opinion on several issues”, Mr Husaini said in his letter.

“System” Miscalculated The Level Of Danger

Stating that “system has failed to anticipate the true level of danger and committed grave miscalculations at social, political, planning and administrative levels for which we are paying a very heavy price”, Mr Husaini suggested to start work at emergency footing to upgrade our health infrastructure.  “This demands much more coordinated efforts between the government and civil society. NGOs, religious organisations, and institutions can certainly play a positive role in fighting this pandemic in social, psychological and philanthropic domains, apart from the primary area of healthcare and governance,” he suggested.

Stating that the Jamaat from the very beginning of the first Covid wave has been providing help and succour to fellow citizens irrespective of caste, creed and religion, he said that the Jamaat cadres were carrying out relief and charitable services regarding vaccination and implementation of health guidelines. “Our doctors and healthcare professionals are providing oxygen cylinders, transportation and ambulance services to Covid patients and at some places we have started dedicated Covid care centres and are trying to establish more such facilities in collaboration with local authorities,” the Jamaat chief said in the letter.

People of India Reject Politics of Hate and Communal Polarisation: Engineer Muhammad Salim

Earlier, addressing mediapersons, JIH Vice President Engineer Mohammad Salim said that the assembly results in five states, particularly the results of West Bengal Assembly elections, have proved that the people of India have “largely rejected the politics of hate and religious polarization”.

“This is positive development for democracy and communal amity and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind hopes this trend will continue in future”, Mr Salim said.

Stating that the “elections of West Bengal were particularly critical as all efforts were made to polarize the electorates along with misuse of our autonomous institutions”, Mr Salim said that “the victory of Trinamool Congress (TMC) has shattered the aura of invincibility of the ruling party in the electoral arena built by a pliant media and capitulation of state institutions”.”

He hoped that the secular parties will form a pre-poll alliance to defeat the communal forces in future electoral battles and save the country from hate and injustice.

JIH secretary for Community Affairs Malik Moatasim Khan also addressed the press conference and spoke about what the Jamaat and its cadres were doing to alleviate the sufferings of the people during the ongoing second Covid wave in the country.

JIH media secretary Syed Tanveer Ahmed also took part in the virtual press conference.